- Miles 363.6-377.1 (13.5 mi.)
- Total ascent: 4915’; descent 3530’
Well, I’m no master toenail trimmer. Neither of the problem corners is bloody or pus-covered, but neither lets a step go by without complaint, either. I can’t cut them further, so my only option is to monitor.
With that one pain aired, today was otherwise amazing. For starters, we found Amazing relaxing in an old apple orchard. We had a life talk, a gear talk, a dancy party, and a stretch session, in that order. After sitting for more than an hour under her tarp, we said what we hope is a temporary goodbye. Amazing climbed a tree, cigarette in one hand and phone in the other, and took a photo of us from above.
We stumbled over logging roads, which had been abandoned for long enough to begin growing trees, for much of the rest of the morning. The roads were so tangled that we came to suspect we were walking through what were the remnants of a company town. We found the remains of a ‘60s washing machine and an couple of old tires, adding to our suspicion.
We did lunch late, on account of our 9 a.m. start and longer-than-usual milage, at Clyde Smith Shelter. After seeing only Amazing, we were surprised to find Poncho and U-Haul there. U-Haul had only just gotten back on trail, after expelling a stomach bug from both directions of his GI tract for three days; Poncho, too, was injured, but he swore his swollen ankle was hikable.
After applying hand sanitizer and offering Poncho some ibuprofen, which he responded he’d just taken, we ate our cheese-and-meat and peanut-butter-and-granola burritos. We discussed how it had never really warmed up, and how the temperature would only continue to drop as we climbed Roan Mountain.
We packed up, wished Poncho and U-Haul better luck ahead, and left. We walked another three miles, briefly losing the trail before finding it again across a gravel road and beside a one-armed wingback chair.
Anxious to get to camp, we paused from there only to get water at a piped spring near some abandoned sewer pipes. I mixed and gulped an electrolyte drink while Rachel found a flat spot to do her business. I collected some ramps, which had taken over a hillside, and we set off again.
Dinner, that best, last event of the day, took longer than usual that night. I’d lost finger dexterity in the cold, and the ramps didn’t cut well with our plastic knife. Rachel fetched water, which also took longer than usual, from a half-mile away. But it was the best dinner in memory, on account of the extra cheese and extra-late time of day.
Tomorrow, we do our last full day — an even bigger one — before we resupply at Mountain Harbor hostel on Wednesday. This cycle has gone by quickly; I’m not ready for town again, though I do need internet access to post my backlog of blogs. I’m excited to share with my friends and family back home, and, hopefully, to see some hiker friends at our hostel.
